I agree with Food Network talker Alton Brown, who tells Ana Marie Cox in the Sunday New York Times:

“I do think that most of us need to actually take responsibility for what we’re putting in our mouths. Obesity is not a disease.” And: "The second that our society starts thinking that shoveling Big Macs into our face is a disease then we’re done, we’re done as a culture.”

Several years ago, I instigated and participated in a very successful presentation on food addiction at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco.

I’m very excited to share that I’ll be speaking twice, on back-to-back days, at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass., in September.

These events are not open to the public, though if you really want to attend, you can always check in as guest. Or, perhaps, if you live locally, an accommodation could be reached.

I received the manuscript back from my pal and copy editor, David S. Richwine, today, and have forwarded to the designer.

Also, editor Claudia Gere and I are essentially agreed on a title, though we still have some fiddling to do with the subhed. Very exciting.

Well, I'm excited, anyway. I just filed the "final" changes on the manuscript of my second book, and if my editor has no further direction, we'll move into production mode.

We're still up in the air about the title. I've been working on it under the heading "Personal Sustainability/What good is sustaining the planet if we're not sustaining ourselves?" But recently, I've wondered if "Sustain Yourself" with a similar subhead, might be better. Your thoughts are welcome. 

Meanwhile, please raise a virutal glass of celebratory beverage with me!

Welcome to another episode of “10 Words or Less,” in which I ask brief questions of interesting people and request brief answers in return. Today’s participant has a remarkable path of success that began on a dairy farm north of Toronto and hasn’t reached its end yet. She’s the founder and CEO of Wellcoaches, which teaches coaching, a co-founder of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a treatment center affiliated with Harvard.

One of the arguments the soldiers of Big Soda — and sometimes, their well-meaning compatriots — have used against taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages is that they won’t change consumer behavior. And, of course, they’ve been able to maintain that fiction, until now, because they’ve scrapped relentlessly to defeat proposals in the US.

But in Mexico, such a tax was instituted at the beginning of 2014, and researchers from Mexico’s National Public Health Institute and the University of North Carolina and have preliminary data on its effect.

Moore is a primary force in the world of coaching. She’s the founder and CEO of Wellcoaches, which teaches coaching, a co-founder of the Institute of Coaching at McLean Hospital, a treatment center affiliated with Harvard. She helped develop what led to the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine at Joslin Diabetes Center, where she’s an adviser. Most recently, she’s the co-founder of the National Consortium for Credentialing Health and Wellness Coaches.

Welcome to another episode of “10 Words or Less,” in which I ask brief questions of interesting people and request brief answers in return. Today’s participant is a health coach, financial adviser, and social activist — not to mention a passionate accordionist. Before we get started, a note to those playing at home: “10 words” is an target, not a limit, so please, no counting. If you think it’s so easy, let’s see you do it, especially on the fly.”

Name Marc Sussman
Born when, where  "Jan. 4, 1952, in Brooklyn, N.Y."
Resides now  "Framingham, Mass., happily. I’m a new transplant."
What are you doing these days?  “I am studying nutrition. I am studying financial planning, returning to that vocation sometime this summer. And just staying abreast of all the important issues going on in our country, and in the world."
What did you used to do?  "I was a financial adviser full time for over 30 years. A certified financial planner and investment adviser."
When did you stop?  “Two and a half years ago."
Why?  “Health and emotional considerations. I was burned out. I needed to take a step back and reconsider what I really wanted to offer to people and the positions I wanted to represent."

Marc is a former Air America radio host on the topic of financial planning and its connection to our values, who now is studying integrative nutrition. The links are interesting.